Claim to Fame

A dedicated member of the Muea Tseena Pack, Dr. Tasha Cox is an overworked and cranky resident at the Medical City Hospital, with a reputation for helping out fellow pack members with a 'no questions asked' policy, while aiding other shifters with more of a 'I scratch your back, you owe me for life' mentality.

Biography

Information is provided OOCly only. Tasha is secretive about her past, and does not tend to share her Little Miss Sunshine history, nor her actual first name. Please ask before assuming.

Tasha Cox was born Tiffany Natasha Cox to loving parents in the affluent suburb of Plano. Her father was an executive with a large corporation that made its headquarters there, and her mother was a former beauty queen socialite who liked to call herself, laughingly, a stay-at-home mom.

Tasha was the eldest of two girls, and always felt that mom's biggest contribution to all four was pushing them out and then sticking them into beauty pageants before they were even crawling. By the time she was six, an entire room of the house had to be dedicated to the delicate art of pageantry, where costumes, 'talents' and trophies were kept, and the basement was turned into a studio where dancing, singing, and gymnastics could be practised several hours each day without needing to leave home.

It made for an intense childhood, and Tasha learned from a young age the importance of always being 'the best'. Second place was really only first loser, as far as she was concerned. Taking more after her father, Tasha never really enjoyed the beauty pageants as much as her mother insisted that she did. At the age of 12, she quit in a huff, walking off during a key performance in an important pageant. While her father just tried hard not to laugh, it's a known fact in the Cox household that her mother still has not entirely forgiven her to this very day.

She chose instead to focus on schoolwork, pushing herself to the top of the class through a combination of natural smarts and do-or-die attitude. She relished blowing the bell curve and screwing over the other kids, and entered into a not-so-friendly rivalry with the next highest-scoring student in the class. Meanwhile, around teachers and tutors, she was always the most obedient, obsequious child. If she didn't have the other girls terrified by her intense Type-A personality, she probably would have been beaten up on a regular basis.

Puberty brought with it more than your normal changes and renewed pressure from mom to get back into the pageantry circuit. It had never been a secret there was something different about her parents, though they were certainly careful to be discreet. It was only when Tasha had undergone her first shift that her parents rushed to fill in all the details about their true natures.

It took some getting used to, to say the least. But perhaps the transition was made that much easier by the way that her parents embraced it. She was quickly taught that werewolves were by far superior to anything else out there. It also put on a lot of pressure to be the best damn werewolf she could be, and to make the family proud.

She was introduced into the Muea Tseena Pack, and began learning all she could about their ways. Always highly conscious of the pecking order, she was careful to keep down those below her, while sucking up to those above, and always looking for a way to move up.

And, of course, there was still school to contend with. She managed to graduate as valedictorian from her elite private all-girls school, after beating out her rival. She was accepted at Texas A&M for a pre-med track in biochemistry. After killing herself for four years there, and giving herself a nervous breakdown over the MCAT, she scored high enough to get into medical school at Columbia University.

New York was a huge change for her, and one she didn't really enjoy. Being away from her family, her home, and the pack, it was not at all healthy for her already delicate psyche. She made no effort to socialize, and saw little more of the city than the brief commute between her shared accommodations and campus. Her roommate would even joke sometimes about the futility of her even paying rent, since she spent most of her nights in the library or catching a few Zs on one of the couches in the student lounge. These attempts at humour were usually met with little more than a growl.

By the time her initial training was complete, she was socially broken, and addicted to amphetamines to get her through the insane hours she forced upon herself, still needing to excel and be the best. Thankfully, she managed to get into the residency program at Medical City Hospital, bringing her back to Dallas and to familiar territory.

Character Details

Tasha was taught from her very first shift to embrace her animal side, and this has led to her being more animalistic even when in human form, as she feels no need to subdue her nature. She is extremely sensitive to things such as eye contact and facial expression, and may show her teeth or even growl quietly when feeling threatened or cornered. She is not violent, but pushed too far, may become physical only when necessary. She is very proud of her werewolf nature and has a sense of superiority due to it.

She is also extremely sensitive to hierarchies, both in her daily life and life with the pack. Always looking to better her standing, she's on her best behaviour around those above her, while careful to make sure those submissive to her remain that way. However, she is not actively unfriendly to either superiors or inferiors, and doesn't usually seek to drive people away.

Tasha is very driven and determined to be the best at all she does, no matter the cost. While her miserable time in New York has driven it into latency, she can be playful and even friendly in her personal life, but it takes time and trust to reach this level. Around strangers or those who annoy her, she can come across as a misanthrope, and has little patience for the drama of other people. She is unforgiving of mistakes, especially her own, but also those of other people.

She is more at ease around her own kind, figuring they understand her better, and also taking the view that they are more worth her time. On the flip-side, she can sometimes actually be nicer to those of other races, as they are so far beneath her, there is no need to compete or worry about social standing. Just as she feels no need to battle wills with a dog to prove she's his better, so it goes for those who are not two-natured. Shifters usually fall more in the middle, close enough to be a very subtle threat, while not really worth worrying about most of the time.

MD

Tasha has completed medical school at Columbia University, granting her a medical degree. While she still has to finish her residency before she can be a fully-licensed practitioner, she's got all of the theoretical knowledge, and gets to go around insisting people call her Dr. Cox.

Baton Twirling

Though she would sooner die than ever, ever admit to it, one of Tasha's pageant 'talents' was baton twirling. While this is certainly not something she keeps up with, it had the net effect of making her very dextrous and nimble with her hands. After hundreds of hours practising, some of the muscle memory has remained, giving her an advantage with a wielded blunt weapon if it came down to it. It's also led to a subconscious habit of twirling her pen between her fingers when she's reading or thinking of what to write.

Agility

In both human and wolf forms, Tasha is very agile, thanks to the tumbling, dance and gymnastics lessons she was forced into as a child. You can't just stand there and twirl a baton, after all. Her balance is exceptional, and she's very aware of her body and its placement.

Werewolf

As a werewolf, Tasha enjoys the heightened senses and abilities of her kind, as well as the boon and burdens of being a member of the Muea Tseena Pack.

Amphetamine Addiction

It started as a one-time thing to get her through her finals during medical school, but Tasha's addiction to amphetamines has only grown with time and increasing demands put upon her by her program of study and now her residency. While the drugs allow her to keep almost impossible hours and remain functional on very little sleep, she suffers both physical and psychological side-effects, including a reduced appetite, hyperactivity, restlessness, headaches, dry mouth, insomnia, heart palpitations, anxiety, hubris, aggression, and paranoia. She's also at an increased risk of tachycardia, arrhythmia and heart attack. What's more, she obviously knows all of this, but has convinced herself that the ends justify the means - and that she will quit as soon as she finishes her residency.

Animalistic

Tasha sometimes has trouble separating the wolf and the human elements of her personality. Or rather, she doesn't have trouble, because she sees no need to do so. However, this can cause her to have trouble fitting in with normal people, especially those of the high-brow variety she's meant to be rubbing shoulders with these days.

Overwork

She of the Type-A personality. Natasha takes after her father in her tendency to bury herself in work. Of course, part of this really isn't her fault, as residency is just that demanding. Working 80 hours a week on average, up to 30 hours at a stretch, and on call every third night takes its toll on a person.

Werewolf Weaknesses

Tasha is bound by the same weaknesses as those of her species and members of the pack. Silver bullets prove fatal, she is bound by werewolf politics, she must shift on the full moon, vampire blood brings about an allergic reaction, and she requires consciousness to keep the change active.

Summer got the pack-mate special when coming to the hospital in need of stitches.

Name

Race

Relation

Notes

Curtis Walter Cox

Werewolf

Dad

Of her parents, Tasha takes more after her practical-minded father. They are as close as two workaholics can be, enjoying frequent short, efficient conversations in which they stick only to niceties and never get into more sentimental tripe. Even when she was at her worst in New York, as far as dad was concerned, she was 'fine' and 'doing well'. That's all he wants to hear and that's all she wants to tell him, so it works well for both of them.

Sandy Ann Cox

Werewolf

Mom

Tasha's mother tends to view it as a personal failing that her daughter isn't married with children yet. She's always fussing about how she looks and leads her life, driving Tasha insane. Any question about her personal life is seen by Tasha as prying.

Jamie Kristen Cox

Human

Younger Sister

Raised as a matching set, Tasha and Jaime were both best friends and worst enemies growing up. With Jaime as the more sensitive of the two (not that it's saying much), Tasha views it as her dual duty to toughen her up, while also being protective and defensive towards outside threats. Jaime is also the only one ever able to call her Tiffany and live to tell the tale.